Preface                                            x
Introduction                                       xi
    Exploring Your New dSLR                        1  (14)
      Typical Front Controls and What They Do      2  (2)
      Typical Back Panel Controls and What They    4  (2)
      Do
      Typical Top Panel Controls and What They     6  (2)
      Do
      Inserting Media                              8  (2)
      Using Electronic Flash                       10 (2)
      Inside a dSLR                                12 (3)
    Setting Up Your dSLR                           15 (24)
      Battery Charging and Battery Life            16 (4)
      Media Formatting                             20 (4)
        FAT Chances                                22 (2)
      Optimizing Compression and Resolution        24 (4)
        Compression and File Format                24 (2)
        Resolution                                 26 (2)
      Making Basic Settings                        28 (2)
      Changing LCD Brightness and Review Modes     30 (2)
      Other Shooting Options                       32 (4)
        Noise Reduction                            32 (1)
        Image Optimization                         32 (2)
        File Numbers and Folders                   34 (2)
      Custom Settings                              36 (3)
    Photography: The Basic Controls                39 (28)
      Exposure Controls                            40 (2)
        Tonal Range                                41 (1)
      Choosing a Shutter Speed to Stop Action      42 (2)
      Selecting the F/Stop                         44 (2)
        Sharpness                                  44 (1)
        Variable F/Stops                           45 (1)
        Depth-of-Field                             45 (1)
        Diffraction Distraction                    45 (1)
      Changing ISO                                 46 (2)
      Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority       48 (2)
        Aperture Priority                          48 (1)
        Shutter Priority                           49 (1)
      Manual Exposure                              50 (2)
      Programmed Exposure Modes                    52 (2)
      Exposure Metering and Evaluation Modes       54 (2)
      Overriding Your Camera's Exposure Settings   56 (2)
      Working with Histograms                      58 (2)
      Automatic Focus Basics                       60 (2)
      Automatic Focus Modes                        62 (2)
        Single Autofocus                           62 (1)
        Continuous Autofocus                       62 (1)
        Automatic Autofocus                        63 (1)
      Manual Focus                                 64 (3)
    Making Light Work for You                      67 (22)
      Quality of Light                             68 (4)
        Direction                                  68 (1)
        Texture                                    69 (1)
        Intensity                                  70 (2)
      White Balance                                72 (4)
        Setting White Balance Manually             72 (2)
        Measuring White Balance                    74 (1)
        Creating Your Own Presets                  74 (1)
        Other Factors                              74 (2)
      Using Multiple Lights                        76 (4)
        Main Light                                 77 (1)
        Fill Light                                 78 (1)
        Background Light                           79 (1)
        Hair Light/Rim Light                       79 (1)
      Electronic Flash                             80 (2)
      Flash Sync Modes                             82 (2)
      Flash Exposure                               84 (2)
      Connecting an External Flash                 86 (3)
    Choosing and Using Lenses                      89 (24)
      Zoom or Fixed Focal Length?                  90 (2)
      Lens Crop Factors                            92 (2)
      Wide-Angle Lenses                            94 (2)
      Using Telephoto Lenses                       96 (4)
      Using Normal Lenses                          100(2)
      Using Macro Lenses                           102(2)
        Parts of a Typical Macro Lens              103(1)
      Close-Up Accessories                         104(2)
      Teleconverters                               106(2)
      Distortion, Aberrations, and Anomalies       108(5)
    Creating a Photo                               113(18)
      Choosing a Theme and Purpose                 114(2)
      Selecting a Center of Interest               116(2)
      Orientation                                  118(2)
      Angles and Distance                          120(2)
      The Rule of Thirds and Other Guidelines      122(2)
      Backgrounds                                  124(2)
      Using Straight Lines, Curves, and Balance    126(2)
      Framing Your Subject                         128(3)
    Great Themes                                   131(41)
      Action                                       132(2)
      Animals                                      134(2)
      Amusement Parks                              136(2)
      Architecture                                 138(2)
      Candid Photography                           140(2)
      Child Photography                            142(2)
      Concerts---Live!                             144(2)
      eBay and Auction Photography                 146(2)
      Events                                       148(2)
      Fireworks and Aerial Pyrotechnics            150(2)
      Lush Landscapes                              152(2)
      Macro Photography                            154(2)
      Moon Shots                                   156(2)
      Night Photography                            158(2)
      Nature Photography                           160(2)
      Panoramas                                    162(2)
      Portraiture                                  164(2)
      Still Lifes                                  166(2)
      Sunrises and Sunsets                         168(2)
      Travel Photography                           170(2)
Glossary                                           172(14)
Index                                              186